Agricultural combines are large machines that harvest, thresh, separate and clean agriculturally planted crop that carries corn. The clean corn gained in this way is stored in a corn tank arranged on the combine. As a rule tangential threshing arrangements are used that include a thresher basket and a thresher drum which conveys the harvested crop tangentially or axial threshing arrangements that convey the harvested crop in the axial direction with axial thresher rotors, which also interact with thresher baskets. The thresher baskets are composed of arched strips and transverse strips that leave intervening spaces between them. The thresher basket surrounds the thresher drum around one part of its circumference and encloses a slot with it through which the crop to be threshed is forced. While the harvested crop is conveyed through the slot, parts of the harvested crop are separated (that is, the corn), fall through the intervening spaces and are conducted to a cleaning arrangement. On the basis of the condition of the harvested crop certain components can be separated more or less easily, so that it is useful to be able to have the thresher basket conform to the particular crop being harvested.
FR 1 479 557 A shows a thresher basket in which the downstream region is equipped with transverse strips that provide openings between them that permit the discharge of particles of the harvested crop that had been separated. A free space is formed in the area of the intake slot that is used for the selective exchange of a smooth plate for fragile harvested crop, transverse strips for harvested crop that is difficult to separate or thresher strips for the removal of tassels from the harvested crop. The disadvantage here is seen in the fact that the exchange of the exchange component is relatively time consuming, since at first the attachment of the existing exchange component must be released, then it must be removed and replaced by another exchange component and finally to fasten the latter again.
DE 1 130 641 A describes a thresher basket with a forward thresher basket extension with a U-shaped cross section that can be pivoted about an axis extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the thresher drum in order to move it between an active position and an inactive position. The center leg of the U-shape interacts while threshing with the harvested crop in the active position while in the inactive position the thresher basket extension that was rotated through 180° is then used as a stone trap. The disadvantage here is seen in the fact that the transition of the harvested crop from the slope conveyor to the thresher basket is problematical when the thresher basket extension is inactive on the basis of the then resulting increased depth of the thresher basket extension.
DE 1 130 640 A, which is seen as forming a class, describes a forward thresher basket extension for a combine, that is connected in joints, free to pivot, about an axis extending parallel to the axis of rotation of the thresher drum. In one position of the thresher basket extension it extends the thresher basket in the forward direction and in a second position, pivoted downward, it forms a smooth guide surface for a forward span over a stone trap. In a second position a gap is provided between the guide surface and the thresher basket that is used as a stone trap, while the gap lies ahead of the thresher basket extension when the thresher basket extension is active. Then the thresher basket extension forms a forward edge that impairs the flow of harvested crop.
What is needed in the art is a thresher basket for a combine of the kind cited initially with which a flow of harvested crop is possible without any problems independently of the position of the inlet area of the thresher basket.